Regulations for Diving Competitions
Instruction to Judges. In making awards for points for each dive the judges shall have regard to the character of the respective dive to be performed, and shall take into consideration: The manner of the dive (proper carriage, confidence and form), the force and speed of the dive, the entrance into the water and how the run or take-off is performed. When judging the carriage the individuality of the diver should be taken into consideration. The bearing in the air should be natural, easy, supple and graceful. When performing plain head dives, the head should be erect, back hollowed, legs closed with feet turned back, arms supple and fingers closed. The start should be made gracefully, with confidence and in a bold manner; in running dives the force and energy imparted should be considered. The entrance into the water should be made without splashing and with good carriage of the body.
For each dive each judge shall award points according to the following scale:
| Points. | |
| Unsuccessful attempt | 0 |
| Bad dive | 3 |
| Fair dive | 6 |
| Good dive | 8 |
| Excellent dive | 10 |
The judges may mark points and half points between those mentioned in the above scale, but 10 shall be the highest possible that can be awarded by any judge.
An unsuccessful attempt is one in which the competitor has failed to perform the dive nominated.
In all jackknife dives the competitor should enter the water within six feet from the take-off.
All head dives with arms by sides are ruled out.
Swallow and all other forms of straight front dives are to be considered as plain front dives.
In all somersaults or jackknife dives with twists, the somersaults or jackknives must be completed before twisting.
Under observation of the foregoing conditions and instructions in making their respective awards each judge shall:
a. Write down his points for each dive performed by each competitor according to the scale of points named in point table above.
b. The points awarded by him for each voluntary dive shall be multiplied by the points allowed for the degree of difficulty in each case as specified in the following diving tables.
c. After the total of points for each competitor has been found and checked as being correct, each judge shall place the competitors in the order in which they finish on his diving card. He shall give 1, to the diver scoring the greatest number of points; 2, to the diver scoring the second greatest number of points, etc. If two competitors score the same number of points their place numbers shall be added and each given one-half. For instance, if two competitors receive the same number of points, which is the second largest on the diving card of a judge, their place numbers 2 and 3 shall be added, and each competitor shall receive 2½, and the next following competitor shall receive the number 4. The place numbers given to the respective competitors by each of the judges shall be added together and the competitor showing the lowest total of place numbers shall be declared the winner. In case of a tie the point totals of all the judges shall be added together and the competitor whose total of points is greatest shall be the winner of the tie.
A list of voluntary dives shall be submitted by each competitor to the judges in writing before the beginning of the competition. Changes in the list of voluntary dives are not permitted. No competitor shall be permitted to repeat any of his dives.
The Referee must ascertain before the beginning of a competition that the depth of the water is sufficient to insure the safety of the competitors.
Competitions or exhibitions of diving from a greater height than 34 feet are prohibited.
The conditions of a diving competition, namely, height of board, number of voluntary and compulsory dives, and the character of the latter, must be stated in entry blanks.
Fancy Diving from the Springboard. The board shall have a length of 13 feet and shall be 20 inches wide and shall be of the usual elastic character.
In championship meetings the height of the board from the surface of the water shall be not less than 9 feet 6 inches, nor more than 11 feet.
The program for championships shall consist of the following dives: Running front dive, back dive, running forward jackknife, back jackknife and six voluntary dives selected from the following table:
| Standing. | Running. | ||
| 1 | —Backward spring and forward dive (half twist) | 1.4 | |
| 2 | —Backward spring and backward dive (full twist) | 2.0 | |
| 3 | —Forward spring with half twist and backward dive | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| 4 | —Forward spring with full twist and forward dive | 1.8 | 1.8 |
| 5 | —Forward somersault | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| 6 | —Forward 1½ somersault | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| 7 | —Backward somersault | 1.5 | |
| 8 | —Backward 1½ somersault | 2.2 | |
| 9 | —Forward double somersault | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| 10 | —Backward double somersault | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| 11 | —Backward spring and forward somersault | 1.7 | |
| 12 | —Backward spring and 1½ forward somersault | 2.0 | |
| 13 | —Forward somersault with half twist | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| 14 | —Forward 1½ somersault with half twist | 2.2 | 2.2 |
| 15 | —Forward 2½ somersault | 2.3 | 2.3 |
| 16 | —Flying Dutchman (forward spring with backward dive) | 1.8 | 1.9 |
| 17 | —Flying Dutchman somersault (forward spring with backward somersault) | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| 18 | —Flying Dutchman 1½ somersault | 2.4 | 2.4 |
| 19 | —Flying Dutchman with half twist | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| 20 | —Handstand dive | 1.4 | |
| 21 | —Handstand dive with somersault | 1.7 | |
| 22 | —Handspring dive with somersault | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| 23 | —Jackknife forward | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| 24 | —Jackknife backward | 1.5 | |
| 25 | —Jackknife forward with half twist and back dive | 1.8 | 1.9 |
| 26 | —Jackknife forward with full twist and forward dive | 2.2 | 2.2 |
| 27 | —Jackknife backward with half twist and forward dive | 1.9 | |
| 28 | —Jackknife backward with full twist and backward dive | 2.3 | |
| 29 | —Backward dive | 1.5 |
In competitions where a lower board is used, the board shall be not less than 2 feet 6 inches or more than 4 feet from the surface of the water and the voluntary dives shall be selected from the following table:
| Standing. | Running. | ||
| 1 | —Backward spring and forward dive (half twist) | 1.4 | |
| 2 | —Backward spring and backward dive (full twist) | 1.9 | |
| 3 | —Forward spring and backward dive (half twist) | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| 4 | —Forward spring and forward dive (full twist) | 1.8 | 1.8 |
| 5 | —Forward somersault | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| 6 | —Forward 1½ somersault | 1.8 | 1.7 |
| 7 | —Forward double somersault | 2.2 | 1.9 |
| 8 | —Backward somersault | 1.5 | |
| 9 | —Backward 1½ somersault | 2.2 | |
| 10 | —Backward double somersault | 2.2 | |
| 11 | —Backward spring and forward somersault | 1.9 | |
| 12 | —Flying Dutchman (forward spring and backward dive) | 1.7 | 1.8 |
| 13 | —Flying Dutchman somersault (forward spring and backward somersault) | 1.8 | 1.8 |
| 14 | —Handstand | 1.2 | |
| 15 | —Jackknife forward | 1.4 | 1.5 |
| 16 | —Jackknife backward | 1.5 | |
| 17 | —Jackknife forward and half twist | 1.8 | 1.9 |
| 18 | —Jackknife forward and full twist | 2.2 | 2.2 |
| 19 | —Jackknife backward and half twist | 1.9 | |
| 20 | —Jackknife backward and full twist | 2.2 | |
| 21 | —Backward dive | 1.5 |
High Diving from a Firm Take-off. For high diving competitions from a firm take-off the platforms shall be 7 feet wide, fixed, free from spring and placed at two heights, the first not less than 14 feet and not more than 16 feet and the second not less than 24 feet and not more than 27 feet above the surface of the water.
The program for championships shall consist of two compulsory dives from the lower platform, namely, one plain back dive and one backward somersault; and two from the high platform, one running plain dive and one standing plain dive, and six voluntary dives, to be performed from the high platform and to be selected from the following table:
| Standing. | Running. | ||
| 1 | —Backward spring and forward dive with half twist | 1.4 | |
| 2 | —Forward spring and backward dive with half twist | 1.6 | 1.7 |
| 3 | —Forward spring and forward dive with full twist | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| 4 | —Backward spring and backward dive with full twist | 2.1 | |
| 5 | —Armstand | 1.6 | |
| 6 | —Armstand and somersault | 1.5 | |
| 7 | —Armstand backward fall dive | 2.1 | |
| 8 | —Armstand with double somersault | 2.2 | |
| 9 | —Backward dive | 2.1 | |
| 10 | —Backward somersault | 1.7 | |
| 11 | —Forward somersault | 2.1 | 2.1 |
| 12 | —Forward 1½ somersault | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| 13 | —Forward double somersault | 2.2 | 2.2 |
| 14 | —Forward 2½ somersault | 2.3 | 2.3 |
| 15 | —Backward 1½ somersault | 2.4 | |
| 16 | —Backward double somersault | 2.1 | |
| 17 | —Forward somersault with half twist | 2.1 | 2.1 |
| 18 | —Forward 1½ somersault with half twist | 2.2 | 2.2 |
| 19 | —Backward spring and forward somersault | 1.8 | |
| 20 | —Backward spring and forward 1½ somersault | 2.0 | |
| 21 | —Flying Dutchman | 2.1 | 2.2 |
| 22 | —Flying Dutchman somersault | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| 23 | —Flying Dutchman 1½ somersault | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| 24 | —Flying Dutchman double somersault | 2.3 | 2.3 |
| 25 | —Flying Dutchman with half twist | 1.8 | 1.8 |
| 26 | —Jackknife forward | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| 27 | —Jackknife backward | 1.4 | |
| 28 | —Jackknife forward with half twist | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| 29 | —Jackknife forward with full twist | 2.1 | 2.1 |
| 30 | —Jackknife backward with half twist | 2.0 | |
| 31 | —Jackknife backward with full twist | 2.2 |
Plunge for Distance. The maximum height of take-off for the plunge for distance shall be limited to eighteen inches above the surface of the water.
A plunge shall be a standing dive, made head first from an indicated firm take-off (i. e., diving base), free from spring. The body is to be kept motionless—face downward—and no progressive action to be imparted to it other than impetus of the dive.
The plunge shall terminate, if the competitor has not already raised his face above the surface of the water, at the expiration of 60 seconds, or such time as may have been previously announced by the promoting body. The duration of such plunge shall be reckoned from the time the competitor dives from the take-off.
At the finish of any plunge the competitor must leave the water as quietly as possible. Anyone disturbing the water so as to interfere with the progress of the competitor following will be disqualified.
The distance traversed in a plunge shall be measured along a straight line, at right angles to the diving base, to a line parallel to the diving base, over the farthest point reached by any portion of the competitor’s body while fulfilling the above conditions.
In championship or level contests each competitor shall be allowed three plunges, and the farthest plunge shall win. In handicaps, the number of plunges shall be left to the discretion of the promoting club.
When a competitor touches the side of the tank or pool, his distance shall be taken and he shall be compelled to stop.
A line may be made or painted along the bottom of the pool or tank to enable the competitors to guide themselves.
Miscellaneous. A competitor in turning must touch the end of the bath or course with one or both hands before kicking off.
Standing upon the bottom in the shallow end of a bath during a competition is only allowed for the purpose of resting. Walking or jumping from the bottom in the shallow end of a bath shall not be allowed.
The competitor in a handicap race who has the lowest handicap shall have the choice of position.
Where two men are on the same mark they shall draw for choice of position.
In case of a dead heat in a handicap the competitor with the lowest handicap shall be declared the winner. Where a dead heat occurs between two men on the same mark the tie shall be decided by a swim-off on the same day, or the one refusing to swim shall be given the next lowest prize.
Choice of position shall be drawn for in races other than handicaps.
When a trophy or prize is given to a club scoring the greatest number of points in a meeting, the points shall be counted as follows:
| Points. | |
| First in swim, plunge or dive | 5 |
| Second in swim, plunge or dive | 3 |
| Third in swim, plunge or dive | 1 |
| First in relay race | 10 |
| Second in relay race | 6 |
| Third in relay race | 2 |
| First in water polo | 15 |
| Second in water polo | 9 |
| Third in water polo | 3 |